Milford’s Consigli Construction builds on success

Consigli is a full-service construction management and general contracting firm, serving academic, health care, institutional, life sciences, corporate, landmark restoration and federal clients throughout New England and New York State.

By Bob Tremblay/Daily News staff

Milford Daily News

By Bob Tremblay/Daily News staff

Posted Aug. 29, 2011 at 12:01 AM
Updated Aug 29, 2011 at 9:35 PM

By Bob Tremblay/Daily News staff

Posted Aug. 29, 2011 at 12:01 AM
Updated Aug 29, 2011 at 9:35 PM

MILFORD

» Social News

At a time when the economy has many construction firms making cuts, Consigli Construction Co. Inc. is making a difference.

The Milford construction management firm recently traveled with Seven Hills Global Outreach, an affiliate of Worcester-based Seven Hills Foundation, to Sierra Leone where Consigli helped fund the construction of a school and a health clinic. Led by co-owner Anthony Consigli, the company also provided technical and engineering support.

"Consigli’s role was extensive," says Ashley Emerson, the director of Seven Hills Global Outreach, an employee-led global development organization. "They made blueprints, plotted plans and were supportive throughout the partnership. They made several trips to Sierra Leone and will continue their support in the future."

Seven Hills Foundation is a nonprofit health and human services organization that currently run programs at 160 locations throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island, employing nearly 3,500 people. It provides support and services to 28,000 children, adults and seniors with disabilities and other life challenges.

The new school in Sierra Leone will serve 100 children in grades one through five while the health clinic will serve 50 to 100 women daily. This is in a country where one out of every five children will not reach the age of 5 and one of out every seven women will die in childbirth.

Sierra Leone is not Consigli’s first global outreach effort. It traveled to Haiti to help rebuild an orphanage there after the country was struck by a devastating earthquake last year.

Closer to home, Consigli employees participate and volunteer their time throughout the year in varying local community activities such as the American Heart Association Heart Walk, Rebuilding Together Worcester, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland, the Boys and Girls Club of Worcester, the Rural Community Action Ministry in Maine and the Providence Ronald McDonald House. Consigli employees recently assisted at the 2011 Summer Special Olympics in Cambridge and donated blood for Children’s Hospital.

They also volunteered multiple hours of their time to install new energy-efficient windows, donated by Consigli Construction, to replace the 100-year-old windows at Milford’s Youth Center.

The employee-staffed Consigli Involvement Committee is now in the process of planning and coordinating new volunteer opportunities for the fall. These include volunteering at Community Servings in September and its Pie in the Sky fundraising campaign in October and November, Toys for Tots and the Salvation Army in December. It is also looking into opportunities to help out at homeless shelters. Full-time staff numbers 350.

"Consigli and its people regularly engage in community service projects where we can take an active part rather than just sign checks," says Anthony Consigli, who owns the company with his brother, Matthew. "We all continue to find new ways to give that are personally rewarding and reflect the company’s commitment to using its talents and resources to help others." He notes that Matthew led the group of employees to Haiti.

Page 2 of 3 - "Consigli has deep roots in Milford, too," continues Anthony Consigli, who is a Milford native. "Our involvement stems from occupying board positions with the Milford Chamber of Commerce, decking out a tractor-trailer with decorations to carry Santa in the town Christmas parade and giving tours to students and senior citizens, who have come to learn that the old St. Mary’s Grammar School (or the Granite Building) became our new home at 72 Sumner St. five years ago."

The company has kept busy in the construction business, too. For example, the firm is in the process of completing a new residence hall at Framingham State University. For its renovation work at the Cambridge Public Library, Consigli recently received the 2011 Harleston Parker Medal.

Other projects include the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s new ambulatory care center in Worcester; the new Westover Armed Forces Reserve Center in Westover; renovation of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Conn., which is scheduled to be completed in October; the ongoing renovation and restoration of the New York State Capitol building in Albany, N.Y.; the Greater Boston Food Bank; Yawkey Distribution Center in Boston; the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine; and currently, restorations of both the Trinity and Old South churches in Boston’s Copley Square.

Consigli has also completed numerous projects for the Massachusetts State Building Authority, such as the renovation and addition at Dowden Hall at Worcester State University in Worcester; and the renovation of Pope and Scott halls at Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater.

The company has expanded as well, adding offices in Williamstown, Portland, Maine, and Hartford, Conn. It also has an affiliate company, Kirchoff-Consigli Construction Management, in New York’s Hudson Valley.

ANSWER: It dates back to 1905 when my great-grandfather, Peter Consigli, started his own company as a small masonry contractor, making repairs to local landmarks such as the granite arch entrance to Sacred Heart Cemetery in Milford.

My grandfather, Henry Consigli Sr., joined by his five brothers, succeeded Peter as president, and led Consigli into the 1980s, gradually adjusting Consigli’s role into that of a general contractor.

My father, Henry Jr., later took the reigns and continued Consigli’s evolution into a more diversified general contractor, expanding out of the immediate Milford area.

I continued our family legacy when I took over from my father 16 years ago at age 28, and began to look for other opportunities outside of Massachusetts.

We’ve changed quite a bit since 1905, and now oversee construction of some of the most complex buildings across New England.

In 1990, our revenues were $1 million; at the end of 2008, they were $310 million and in 2010, they were $449 million - a 20 percent increase from the previous year.

Page 3 of 3 - Since my family began in this business its mission has always been one of customer service and building great buildings, but it has evolved in later years to focus on its employees, and becoming one of the best places to work in New England.

Formally stated, our mission is: "Consigli will be the most desired contractor to work with and for," which embodies our values that emphasize world-class treatment of employees and clients. It also reflects our family’s belief that employees who enjoy coming to work will, in turn, take greater pride in their performance, and give our clients the best experience possible when they choose Consigli.

To date, we have been recognized the last six years as one of Massachusetts’ "Best Places to Work" by the Boston Business Journal. We’ve received a similar honor in Maine, for the last four years, from The Best Companies Group.

Q: What does your company do?

A: It is a full-service construction management and general contracting firm, serving academic, health care, institutional, life sciences, corporate, landmark restoration and federal clients throughout New England and New York State.

Q: What makes you different from the competition?

A: As a fourth-generation, family-owned firm, we commit to sustained, long-term relationships with clients. We deliver old-world, hands-on craftsmanship unmatched by many general contractors in the industry. We self-perform several key trades and are genuine builders at a time when most firms outsource.

Our combination of management and craftsmanship, particularly with complex restoration and renovation projects, makes us unique in the building industry. Clients come to us because we consistently exceed expectations, going beyond "on-time and on-budget" for each project.